SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi forces detained a senior member of Islamic State (ISIS) in west of Baghdad on Monday, according to authorities.
Iraq’s security media cell said in a statement that the security forces including intelligence units and counter-terrorism forces managed to detain the ISIS member in Abu Ghraib district.
“Based on accurate information … the military intelligence directorate confirmed the presence of one of the dangerous terrorists in Abu Ghraib,” the military stated.
It further said the ISIS member was one of the “terrorists wanted by the judiciary” in accordance with Article 4 of the Iraqi counter-terrorism law.
Recently, Iraqi forces have stepped up operations to arrest ISIS members in the provinces of Kirkuk, Baghdad, Saladin, Diyala, Nineveh and Anbar.
The Iraqi military said on Saturday that intelligence units in Kirkuk detained 10 ISIS suspects who were acted as sleeper cells in the province.
The federal government announced victory over ISIS by the end of 2017 after Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led Coalition regained control of areas once captured by the militant group.
Despite its defeat, ISIS still poses a threat to the security and stability of the country as there are still sleeper cells in Iraq.
